There
were times when Ford flashed all of those skills, but the former Leesville High
star never fully panned out for the Tigers.

He
arrived in 2009 after one of the more spectacular prep careers in Louisiana
history and redshirted that year.

When
he saw action in 2010 behind Stevan Ridley, it was sporadic, as he shared the
backup role with true freshmen Spencer Ware and Alfred Blue.

Last
season, Ford had his best season with 756 rushing yards to lead the team and he
scored 7 touchdowns. Most of his production came after Ware was suspended for a
game for allegedly failing a drug test in October.

But
Ford never completely grabbed the starting job and held on tightly. He was
probably the fastest of the LSU backs last season, but didn't block as well in
pass protection, struggled as a receiver and also had fumble problems.

During
the offseason coming into 2012, he ran into academic trouble and narrowly
avoided being ineligible.

Blue
began the season as the starter before getting injured. Hilliard took over at
that point and eventually yielded the job to freshman Jeremy Hill.

Ford
carried the ball 71 times last fall for 392 yards with 3 touchdowns, but never
broke a run linger than 22 yards. After rushing for a season-high 78 yards at
Texas A&M, Ford got the ball out of the backfield only 11 more times for 35
yards in the last five games.

It
wasn't like Ford was forgotten, though. While his role in the backfield diminished
as Hill carved a spot as a rising star, Ford was installed as LSU's kickoff
returner and he flourished.

He
recorded 20 returns and averaged 27.5 yards a pop, with several field-position
changing runs, including an 86-yard return at Arkansas.

That
skill might give Ford a foothold at Pro Day and at the NFL Combine if he is
invited. His speed is also an asset and he is regarded as one of the strongest
players on LSU's roster.

Besides
Ford and Ware, the LSU players who have declared they will leave school early
are Kevin Minter, Eric Reid, Tharold Simon, Brad Wing, Barkevious Mingo, Sam
Montgomery and Bennie Logan.

A
report by Gannett Louisiana on Monday quoted New Orleans-based NFL analyst Mike
Detillier saying junior left tackle Chris Faulk is also considering an early
leap. The Slidell native missed most of the 2012 season with a major knee
injury. Before that he was projected by several outlets as a potential
first-round pick.

Craig LostonLSUsports.net

One
LSU player on Monday announced his intention to return for his final season.
Safety Craig Loston, a junior from Houston, tweeted "I will be a Tiger for the 2013-2014 season. I look forward to
coming back and getting better as a person and teammate. Let's rock out LSU."

LSU coach Les Miles had remained mum on the wave of players departing until the school's athletic media relations office issued a statement Monday evening.

"We are fortunate at LSU to be able to recruit the style of high school player that can develop very quickly into an NFL caliber athlete," Miles said in the statement. "The good fortune is that we invest in them, coach them and prepare them for the next step of their career. Generally speaking, every one of these guys is in position to return to school (during the offseason) to get their degree and one (Kevin Minter) has already graduated.

"We recruit very talented players with the understanding that there's a choice that they may have to make following their junior year. It's an individual decision and one that has to do with them and their family. I met with each player and provided them with as much information as I have so that they can make a quality decision in regards to their future. We wish these guys great fortune as they pursue this next step."

The deadline for college underclassmen to declare for the draft is 2013.